System for protecting highway crossings at the right of way of railways



Nov. 6, 1928. 1,690,903

P. J. KAVENEY SYSTEM FOR PROTECTING HIGHWAY CROSSINGS AT THE RIGHT OFWAY OF RAILWAYS Filed 00 l 924 Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES I 1,690,903 PATENT orrics.

PAUL J. KAVENEY, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLII-TOZS.

SYSTEM FOR PROTECTING HIGHWAY CROSSINGS AT THE RIGHT OF WAY 0FRAILVVAYS.

Application filed October 1, 1924. Serial No. 740 961.

gates to be lowered upon the approach of trains on a track or tracksintersected by the highway, and to remain lowered until such train ortrains are out of the blocks, the signaling systems of which areinterlocked with my novel highway safety system.

A further object of the invention is to 'so dispose the safety gatesrelatively to the railway right of way, whereby in the event the driverof a highway trafiic vehicle should pass the gate, he will have anopportunity to stop his vehicle between the gate and the tracks withoutdanger. 'The invention as to this phase contemplates the placing of thegates on the highway right of way a suiiicient distance from the railwayright of way to comfortably receive a vehicle which may have passed thegates before an oncoming train has set the system in operation to lowerthe gates. It is the general practice to so arrange the railwaysignaling system that it will set into operation any signaling devicebelonging to the railway a considerable distance ahead of the highwaycrossing. Thus by locating the gates on the highway right of way, ampleroom is provided for the driver of the highway vehicle to take care ofhimself in an emergency of this kind and without passing on to the trackrails.

It is a further object of this inventionto interlock with the generalsignaling system semaphores which are placed on the highway right of wayin locations where the highway parallels the railway, so that the driverof a highway vehicle will be Warned by the raising of a semaphore acrossthe highway a substantial period of time before his vehicle reaches thehighway crossing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cut-out switch for thehighway signal appurtenances at a time when, say a freight train isstanding on the block associated with the highway signals for such aperiod of time that it becomes necessary, under the rules, to break t-hetrain, and thereby clear the highway crossing over the railway track.

' Other objects of the invention are to simplify and improve safetysystems of the general character referred to, and the invention consistsin the combinations shown in the drawings and described in thespecification, and is pointed out in the appended claim.

Fi ure 1 of the drawing shows two paral lel railway tracks, a highwaycrossing, and equipments embodying my novel safety system. v

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2 of Figure 1. I

Asshown in said drawings, there are two parallel tracks having theirrails bonded. in. the usual way and provided with the usual wiring 11,11, bonded to the rails and extending to a battery and control switchbox 12 at one side of the pair of parallel tracks. These wires orconductors constitute parts of known forms of signaling system which 7operate'in connection with the rolling stock,

diagrammatically illustrated at 13, to, operate local and distantsignaling apparatus 111 a manner well known and not necessary here to beshown or described. A por 14, designate highways, the highway 11%paralleling the tracks, and the highway 15 being disposed at a rightangle thereto, and 1.6 designates as a whole a highway crossing over therailway right of way which is reached from both highways 14 and 15.. Thearrangement of the highways 14 and 15 can be duplicated on the otherside of the-track, or it can be assumed that the single highway 15,only, continues beyond the railway right of way. As shown, thearrangement of the highways'is reproduced at both sides of the railwayright ofway.

16, 16 designate swinging gates which are pivoted on suitable posts 17,17', one at each side of the railway right of way. These posts and thegates are located oncthe highway right of way at such distanceas toleave room for a highway vehicle to remain stationary without danger inthe event that the vehicle shall pass beneath the plane of the gatebefore the driver of the vehicle becomes aware of anoncoming trainreason of the lowering of the gates. Said gates are operablesimultaneously from the mechanism at the switch box. The gate post atone side of the right of way is located at the control switch box andmay be interlocked by any suitable wiring connection to the mechanismwhich opens the adjacent gate. The opening mechanism for the other gateis connected to the switch control box by a circuit including theconductors 18 which extend across the railway tracks to the gate postson the highway right of way. Connected in multiple with said gatecontrolling means are semaphores 19 which are so connected in the switchboi: 12 that said semaphores will operate simultaneously with the gates.

' The gates will be provided with any suitable form of lamps 20 toindicate their positioii when swung down during night time. In addition:thereto each gate ma be pro vided at a point indicated by 21 with thesocalled lightless signal 22, shown in detail in Figured. Thecharacteristic of this latter signal is that itis not illun' inatcd butshows its position by a reflection of light rays hereon and usually thelight rays en'ianating from the drivinglamps of a highway vehicle.

' Additionally, and to prevent unauthorized opening of the gates whendown, the gates may carry bared wires 23 which are placed in suchposition that the bare wires will be exposed to the hand of any oneopening the gates, with the result that a person attempting to open thegates will be deterred from this unlawful trespass on the closed gates.

It will. be understood that the gat s may be closed through motor ormagnetic mechanism of any common form, and that said motor or magnetiemechanism will be included in circuit with a local battery which isclosed by the small current of the circuit wires. It will also beunderstood that when. the gates are out of the control of their motor ormagnetic operating apparatus, they will openeddb y suitablecounter-weights at the posts These expedientsin the generalrailwaysignaling systems are so common as to make it unnecessary toillustrate or describe them. 7

From what has been said, it will be understood that when rolling stockenters on a given bl ck, of whatever character the system may. be, itoperates, according to the laws of its system to control the usualrailway signaling apparatus, atthe same timeby reason of theinterlocking of the railway signal with the gates, and the semaphoresplaced on the highway right of way will be simultaneously operated so asto warn the driver of a highway vehicle that a train is approaching thecrossing. It will of coursebe understood that the train maybeapproaching from a distance not observable from his position on thehighway, or his view may be obstructed by intervening buildings.However,tl1e highway semaphores 19 warn him that the crossing is beingclosed so as to enable him to stop his vehicle'be'iore reaching thecrossing.

In the event that the highway vehicle driver should pass the highwaysemaphore, or should pass the gate before he is warned of the approach.of a train towards the crossing ineither direction, as by seeing thegates descend; there will be ample space between the gate andv the firsttrack of the railway for him to bring his vehicle to a stop with safetyto himself and his machine.

It is advantageous to place these highway semaphores on that part of thehighway which communicates with the crossing through a right turn,because his turn onto the crossing will be short, whereas the driverapproaching the crossing from the other direction will, by thecustom ofdriving, turn his machine through a long curve so that he will bepractically in the same position as a driver entering the crossing fromthe high way 15.

The switch control box 12 is provided with a manually operable cut-outswitch, designated by 2st, to cut out the gate and semaphore circuitswithout disturbing the block circuits of toe regular track signallingsystem, when my novel system is connected in the regular signal blocks].i

If desired, however, my signalling device can be used at railwaycrossings where other known modes of general signalling is employed, inwhich" eventelectric circuits and electric appurtenances belonging to myprotecting system may be used with bonded track rails or other kinds ofcircuits, with the same highway protecting functions. Reference in theclaimy therefore, to tracks which are equipped with electric distantcontrol sys tems is intended to include both the regular railway blocksor special blocks. specially adapted to my systeinai d constituting partthereof.v i i l i i lt claim as my invention:

An improved system of protcctinga crossing ov'era railway right of wayin a case where there are highways on opposite sides and parallelingthefi'ight of way and a highway crossing said right of way, comprisingcrossinggates movable across and away from the, latter highway,semaphores associated with the. other two highways at some distame fromthe crossing, and train-controlled; circuits for"operating said gatesand highway semaphores. i

In testimony whereof I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereuntoappend my signature this lQ, lay of September,192 l.

rA L J. KAVENEY.

